Joy is God’s Graciousness

“fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame” Hebrews 12:2

Joy is God’s Graciousness
Joy – Jesus went to the cross for joy.  That seems impossible.  Isn’t joy supposed to be about happiness, about life at its best, about the absence of pain and suffering?  When you think about “joy”, does the cross come to mind?  Probably not.  We have inherited a notion of joy that excludes anything difficult or uncomfortable.  For us, joy is just maximum happiness.

It takes some probing to see the truth.  Joy is an important Biblical idea but it is not about my inner state of bliss.  In the Bible, joy is a relationship word.  It begins with Exodus 33:19.  Joy is first and foremost a description of God’s relationship to us.  God says that He will be gracious.  That’s the word for “joy” in the Old Testament.  I experience joy when God is gracious.  He’s the One Who initiates the experience.  Joy is the result of a relationship of favor brought about by God.

This Old Testament idea of gracious favor finds its way into the New Testament with the Greek word charis.  It’s the same root word for “grace”.  It is still a relationship word.  Grace is my experience of God’s favor toward me.  When I discover God’s favor, I discover joy.  It’s not about peaceful repose or life without troubles or inner bliss.  It’s about God acting benevolently toward me.  Joy is not about my mental state.  It doesn’t come from meditation or self-fulfillment.  Joy is God’s action.  It is divine favor on my behalf.

Jesus went to the cross for joy.  He endured terrible suffering, not because he achieved some higher state of consciousness or because he was elevated beyond pain.  He suffered because he knew that his suffering opened the floodgates of God’s favor toward men.  The joy set before him was the bursting of the heavenly gates of love.  That’s why joy is associated with the cross.  Out of death came life.  Out of pain came redemption.  Out of suffering came victory.  Out of obedience came the favor of the Father.

Perhaps the greatest missing element in the lives of Christians today is joy.  Christians try to embrace obedience.  They understand forgiveness.   They gather in community.  But joy is often absent.  They are captivated by the culture that preaches happiness and happiness is not joy.  They have forgotten that joy is God’s to give – and He has given, abundantly!

Rejoice!